With literally months to go before we get any fresh Big Brother content on our screens, all we can do is sit back and reminisce over the iconic housemates that made us fall in love with the show in an era where E4 would broadcast live footage of housemates sleeping to birdsong.
Give us a break, it's that weird AF time between Christmas and New Year where nobody knows the day and cheese and chocolate are consistently within 3ft of reach. Maybe we'll just re-binge Big Brother 2024 again.
Anyway, two of those aforementioned legendary housemates also happen to be one of the most iconic Big Brother couples to ever grace our screens - Big Brother 5 (the FIGHT NIGHT series) housemates Michelle Bass and Stuart Wilson. I.e. the most '00s Big Brother couple of all time.
What a time.
If that's not ringing any bells, does the word 'chicken' jog anything?
Fun fact, Michelle Bass and ‘Chicken Stu’ became the first couple to bonk on the show. They hit it off immediately on Big Brother in 2004, so much so that they inspired a wedding task. After psychology student Stu claimed he ‘felt weird’ about a fake marriage, contestants Victor Ebuwa and Shell Jubin wed instead. Stu was father of the bride while mortgage adviser Michelle played the role of chorister at the ceremony, performing Pie Jesu. Surely you remember that? Even Charlotte Church and Christian Aguilera said, 'Too many rifts, hun.'
Okay, they didn't - but we bet they thought it.
While they didn’t get fake-married, Michelle and Stu had one of the most talked-about moments of the season when they got together under the dining table den ‘to hear a secret’, covered by a tablecloth. Moans and rustling were later caught on footage. They later confirmed that they’d had sex in the communal kitchen. Love Island could never.
Michelle and Stu stayed together for a year after the show, before splitting. ‘We just went our separate ways in the end. It wasn't meant to be,’ said Michelle on The Sun's Back To Reality.
These days, Michelle is a full-time mum to two daughters who she shares with hypnotist Steve McKeown. Her Instagram has been set to private, so we're guessing she's living the quiet life these days – a move many former housemates have decided to make.
Regarding Stuart, all we really know about him is that he auditioned for boy band Son of Dork and completed his studies at Leeds University following his eviction from the house.
And don't bother asking Michelle where he is either, once upon a time she answered that question, saying, 'When was the last time anybody saw him? Does he even exist anymore? Who knows?'
We miss you, chicken.
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Ben Pulsford is a digital writer for Bauer Media, writing for both Closer online and heatworld. When he's not getting paid to gossip about Big Brother, Love Island, and The Real Housewives of Cheshire, he's storming the London LGBTQ+ scene as drag queen, Beary Poppins. Both Ben and Beary are awaiting an invite to join The Real Housewives of Cheshire for series 18. The budget's not there, but the drama is 💅.